Aue Aue
by Sirenfox
Summary: Maui had always been fascinated by humans, doing many wondrous things just to get their attention. He never expected to actually fall in love, but something about the strong, elegant chief of the voyagers just drew him in. Maui would do anything to make him happy, including stealing Te Fiti's heart. Pre-movie, slash AKA: Why Maui really stole Te Fiti's heart.
1. Chapter 1

**_Okay, so a quick note, this story takes place a thousand years before Moana._**

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Moana._**

* * *

 ** _Aue Aue_**

 ** _I_**

Maui had been drifting over the bright blue ocean for what felt like years.

Nothing on his mind but the sun on his back and the wind in his feathers.

It was nice, in a lazy sort of way.

And nice was good. At least when you are a human. But that was the one thing Maui was not. And so the only thing Maui found on the nice, lazy flight was boredom. And Maui did not like boredom. It ate at him, putting a weird itch in his wings and a heavy feeling in his belly.

The demi-god attempted to ignore the uncomfortable sensation for as long as possible, but patience had never really been his thing. That was more Te Fiti's territory, and Maui didn't feel the need to go stepping on a more powerful deities' toes.

He'd done that once, when he was considerably younger, and notably stupider. Te Fiti had grounded him for that, confiscating his hook and forcing him to do chores. A full decade without any shape shifting powers and having to make plants grow, now that was boring.

It was a completely unfair punishment, if you asked him, and just thinking about it left a nasty taste in his mouth. Nothing was ever worth loosing his hook.

That pesky itch of boredom grew the longer he flew. He couldn't say how long he'd been drifting without any sign of land, and it had been even longer since he saw any human's.

With that thought in mind, Maui dipped towards the sea, delighting in the winds and tasting the magic in the water.

He dipped one wing into the sea as he turned, circling higher and higher until he could summon a few clouds in the clear blue sky.

He transformed midair, landing lightly on the fluffy white blanket. He peeked back down to the still mirrored surface of the deep blue ocean and smirked. This was the perfect spot for a bit of his personal touch.

He stuck his hook in the fluff covering his legs before pulling up a handful of the wispy material, testing it's pull. With a satisfied hum he set to work weaving a nice sturdy rope out of the soft particles.

Once done he tied one end to his hook, wrapping the other end around his hand for leverage he crouched on the edge of his self made precipice. He scanned the waters with a sharp eye, looking beyond the surface and looking for the perfect spot on the ocean floor. He took aim and cast his hook, his huge muscles flexing impressively and he was momentarily distracted by the fact that there was no one around to admire them.

After a few moments he felt a small tremor travel up the cloud-rope and knew he'd caught _something._ Magic coursed through his veins and he could see it light up the rope, pulsing down into the depths of the sea until he could see his hook start to glow even from so far away.

With his magic flowing through the hook and into the ocean floor he began to pull. It was slow work, hand over hand, magic steadily flowing from him into his hook and forcing the earth to take shape.

Hours passed, the sun sinking below the horizon and then bursting back into the sky before Maui was finally satisfied with the new land he had pulled from the ocean.

He dropped the cloud rope, causing it to dash across the waves circling the island and bursting into a gentle white foam that bubbled with every beat against the shore.

Maui hardly paid it any mind as he went to retrieve his hook, his bare feet treading easily over the slippery rocks.

He followed the pull of the hook's magic towards the center of the island. He brushed aside a veil of seaweed hanging over a cave opening and sauntered inside. The cave was spacious, and deep and his hook was not inside.

Frowning in irritation, Maui walked to the very center of the cave where a beam of sunlight was playing across the cave floor, and looked up.

There was his hook. Somehow it had gotten stuck in some sort of hole in the ceiling, a ceiling so incredibly high there was no way for Maui to reach it from inside the cave, not without being able to shape shift.

Huffing out an annoyed puff of air, Maui retraced his steps and started climbing the large rocks making up the walls of the cave.

It wasn't the tallest of mountains, and Maui more bounded up it then walked. A quick look at his hook and he could tell the island wasn't going to just let it go without a fight.

He padded a circle around the hole, eyeing it suspiciously before finally finding the perfect spot. He braced his feet apart and took a firm grip on the hook, then he heaved.

He grunted and huffed and wheezed and whimpered (although if ever asked he will deny any but the grunting.) Then with a mighty 'crack' the island gave in and Maui and his hook went tumbling down the side of the cave and right back into the ocean.

Grumbling Maui burst out of the water and stomped back onto the island, slamming his hook into the ground and shaking his wet mane out of his face as he glared around the island.

After a few moments of glaring at nothing Maui deflated, his breath whooshing out and scattering a few loose pebbles over the shore.

It wasn't much to look at, just large chunks of rock sticking out of the middle of the ocean, slowly drying in the sun and covered with dark green seaweed.

The seaweed was an easy fix, if it didn't wither away on it's own he could simply scrape it all back into the ocean easy enough.

And while the island wasn't very big it would look quite a bit better with a few plants scattered about and maybe some birds or small mammals.

His thoughts were derailed by a familiar sound drifting across the water. Maui's breath caught in his throat and his heart skipped a beat. He strained his ears to hear and, yes. Yes! He knew those sounds.

Humans.

Completely forgetting about his unfinished island, Maui leapt into the air and in seconds his form shimmered and a huge hawk burst through the scattered clouds and began winging towards the enchanting call.

* * *

 ** _So, the next chapter we will see the love interest, so that should be fun._**

 ** _Review!_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Aue Aue**_

 _ **Chapter II**_

The sunlight danced off the edge of an oncoming wave, momentarily blinding Inas with its dazzling gleam. She cursed and dove for the rope to secure the sail as they crested the wave.

Manu, her husband and the Chief of their tribe, caught her eye and she nodded to let him know she had it taken care of. He grinned back at her, his face lighting up like a child the first time they saw land.

She smiled and shook her head at him as he turned to stand on the bow. She wrapped the rope around one hand, gripping the it tight with the other and bracing herself against the movement of the ship and the strong wind as it attempted to fling her overboard.

Ahead of her she could see Manu standing with his arms spread wide and his head thrown back as he embraced the wind. The sun gleamed off his golden skin and cast him in a halo of light. Inas could almost imagine the wings painted on his back snapping open and whisking him away.

Watching him standing there Inas was struck by just how ethereal he looked, a handsome god guiding his people home through turbulent waters.

Then they crashed down on the other side of the wave and she could hear the man's delighted laugh as he was buffeted by the cold spray of the ocean.

The spell was broken and her husband and the father of her four children was mortal once more. The waters leveled out and he returned to her side to help her tie down the sail.

This wasn't the first time she was struck with such flights of fancy in regards to Manu. He had always had a bit of a wild glint in his eye and she had known there would always be a part of him just out of her reach.

"You look like a drowned rat." She observed, reaching forwards to brush a limp red feather from out of his face.

He smiled down at his soaked clothes ruefully, "So I do." He agreed as he pulled the headdress off his bald head and set it on the cabin to dry.

A tiny body topped with fluffy black hair poked out from under the small shelter before two tiny forms launched themselves at the chief.

Inas smiled fondly as he caught them easily, one under each strong arm, and spun them around before dropping them, giggling, onto the floor. "I see you little demons are up." He teased. The little girl, Kohia, flopped on her back her long black hair giving her a nice cushion against the hard wood as stared up at her father with a wide smile.

Her little brother, though, clung to his leg like a limpet and whimpered up at him, "Hungry!" He complained, his wide eyes tearing up as he tugged on the bottom of Manu's skirt.

Inas chuckled, reaching down and scooping her little boy into her arms and attacking his bare little tummy with an loud wet raspberry. Ulani shrieked with laughter, squirming and squealing as he tried to get away.

While she had the youngest distracted Kohia was tracing patterns in the clouds with her fingers before hesitating and tilting her head in confusion, "Daddy? What is that?"

Inus stopped teasing Ulani to follow her daughter's little pointed finger into the sky behind her husband's head. Manu, also tracking their daughter's extended finger, arched a brow in surprise, "A seabird, my little flower." He answered still staring into the sky.

"Land!" someone cried out a moment later from further back. One of the men crouched down by the edge of the boat had also caught sight of the fowl, it would appear.

Inas wasn't convinced. Something didn't feel right about that bird. She allowed Ulani to squirm his way back to his feet and toddle off to find someone else to fill his empty belly (most likely one of his brothers).

Inas crossed to stand next to her husband, eyes focused on the creature winging lazy circles in the sky above them. "Manu," She said lowly, concern leaking into her voice. "That is not an ordinary bird."

Manu glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the sky, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun.

"Look at how big it is!" she hissed, her eyes moving to their little girl, who was still staring up at the sky with open curiosity.

As the creature dipped lower Manu slowly moved towards the boards hiding their weapons, and Inas quickly snapped up her daughter, tucking her into the shelter and hopefully out of danger.

Amosa, her middle son, rounded the other side of the cabin holding little Ulani close to his chest as he kept one eye on the fiend getting steadily closer.

Inas slipped the little boy free of his sibling's arms, allowing Amosa to go help his father and older brother with the weapons.

"Stay here." She instructed the children, who were soon joined by two more little girls, the young daughter's of the other families sharing their barge.

She took a moment to pull a long bone knife out of the stash before joining the rest of the adults waiting for the attack.

Her timing was impeccable. She had just moved to stand next to her eldest son, who's long black hair waved gently in the breeze caused by flapping wings, when the massive hawk dove for their boat.

Men shouted, brandishing their weapons and readying for a fight. There was a whirlwind of feathers, then the monster was gone and a man stood on the bow of their boat with a smug grin on his face and a hook of carved bone braced over one broad shoulder.

A long moment of shocked silence followed as the voyagers processed this unexpected turn of events.

Inas glanced over at her husband, standing slightly in front of everyone else in a clear show of authority. He stood proud and strong, even without his headdress on.

She was so focused on his striking figure standing against danger that she almost missed his expression. Taking a closer look she was surprised, then amused, to see the star-struck look on his face as he drank in the sight of the stranger and whispered the name on all their minds. "Maui."

* * *

 _ **So, now you've met the main characters, I hope at least Manu was recognizable since I based him off of someone actually in the movie.**_

 _ **Please feel free to review, I love hearing your theories.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Moana is finally out! Yes! And as celebration you guys get a new chapter. One that's been sitting on my computer for a few weeks...I might have forgotten I hadn't posted it. Imagine my surprise when looking at the chapters and realizing I couldn't post chapter four because I hadn't posted chapter three...oops._**

* * *

 _ **Aue Aue**_

 _ **III**_

The gentle sway of the ship under his feet as it rolled with the constant motion of the water was an interesting experience. Maui glanced over the raft briefly, taking in the tall painted sails and the complex webbing of ropes spanning from one end of the boat to the other.

It was all so intriguing, but the real reason he was there were the men and women lining up to get a good look at him.

Maui couldn't help but puff out his chest and brace one hand on his hip as the other balanced his hook over his broad shoulders.

He knew it was an impressive sight for the mortals, his heroic pose clearly displaying his magnificent physique for the awe-struck humans. He smirked at his audience, flexing his muscles and basking in their undivided attention as they continued to gawk at him.

The sound of his name pulled his attention into the crowd, his amused eyes raking over the dumbfounded expressions he could see on all their faces.

His gaze came to rest on one man standing slightly apart from the crowd. He stood tall with an air of confidence and an easy authority that drew Maui's attention and kept it there. The man was slender but obviously strong with sharp features and a large hooked nose. His strong jaw and chin were brushed with a short neatly kept ebony beard.

Maui blinked and tilted his head to one side as he examined the man, a delighted smile curling his lips upwards. This man was so…shiny. Maui was having a hard time tearing his eyes away from him.

A couple of long moments passed where Maui simply marveled over the play of light dancing off the top of the man's bare head. He'd never seen anything like it and he couldn't help himself as he stepped closer, reaching out. The man's sun warmed skin was soft and smooth and Maui almost lost himself in just touching someone, anyone.

Then Maui's eyes flitted down and locked on amused brown orbs. The man didn't seem upset, and a smile played on his face below one dramatically arched eyebrow.

Maui sucked in a surprised breath, struck by just how close they were standing. He snatched his hand back and stepped away as nonchalantly as he could manage with his mind and emotions reeling.

His hand tingled where it had rested against the other man's warm skin.

Not comfortable with the strong emotions and confusion swamping him, Maui shoved it all down and plastered a superior smirk on his face. "I know, I know. It's a lot to take in." He blustered, tossing his hair and striking another dramatic pose. "But yes, I am very real." He paused and shot a wink at a girl standing nearby, she looked to be in her early teens and gasped in delight at his attention.

Maui smirked.

The moment was shattered when a small ball of pure energy encased in a tiny human body barreled through the crowd crowing excitedly as he darted around the grasping hands of adults attempting to snatch the child up.

The demigod was just able to make out what the boy was screaming before the child broke through the line of protective adults. "Maui! Maui! Maui!" Moments later the tiny barnacle collided with Maui's leg, wrapping around him and latching on with all his strength.

Shocked and confused Maui bent forward to peer down at the little sea urchin. A small sable haired child with a cherubic face stared up at him from large dewy onyx orbs reminiscent of the night sky.

Maui reached down and carefully peeled the child off his leg. The tadpole was so small in his hands and cheered happily as he was lifted easily off the ground. Maui was afraid he might break him by accident.

The demigod glanced around, eyes scanning over the people still gathered nearby. The bald man from earlier stepped forwards and Maui quickly went to meet him, "I think this is yours." Maui smirked as he thrust the boy at the older man, who smiled and easily cradled the little boy against his chest.

"I apologize for my son." The man spoke, and Maui recognized the soft tones of his voice as the one that spoke his name earlier. "Ulani can be a handful. I am Chief Manu and we are honored by your presence, My Lord."

Lord. Maui had never been called that before.

He liked it.

A woman stepped out of the mass and took the child from Manu's arms, sending a warm smile Maui's way before slipping back among the rest of the congregation.

Slowly life returned to the tribe and people began breaking away from the group to return to their duties.

Maui watched them go with keen interest. He'd never been on a ship before. Never really had a need for one, after all he could fly anywhere he wanted and if he got bored of flying he could take to the sea just as easily.

His attention shifted back to Manu, who was still standing with him, only to find the man regarding him with the same fascination Maui held for him. It had been so long since Maui had been this close to a human and now he wasn't quite sure what to do about it.

That wasn't a problem as the chief held out a hand in welcome, a cordial smile on his face as he beckoned Maui forward, "Come, join us for a meal. We would love to hear tell of your many glorious deeds."

And how could he possibly pass on an invitation like that?

* * *

 ** _I know it's a bit of a slow start, but we'll see some actual plot show up soon and with it the new chapters will also start to get longer. Please keep in mind that for now this chapter is unbetaed. Fan X is like next week so we're a bit busy with cosplay at the moment and chapters will be scarce until that's over._**

 ** _I hope this will tide you all over for now._**

 ** _Please Review!_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Aue Aue**_

 _ **IV**_

Manu cast a look over to where their guest crouched on the bow of the ship, bathed in sunlight and crisp sea-spray. Maui was surrounded by a throng of curious children, all vying for his attention as they fought over what story he would tell them that day.

Manu had not expected the demigod to stick around for very long, the man was well known for his restless energy and urge to roam. Manu understood that feeling all too well, it burned inside him even now as he embraced the fresh ocean air. So he was pleasantly surprised when Maui remained with them through the night, entertaining their children well into the following day.

Manu tore his eyes away from the legend sitting on his boat and focused back on the horizon.

He could hear Maui's smooth, deep voice over the cheering of his enraptured audience, over the roaring of the waves and all the way on the other side of the craft. Manu couldn't help but train his ear on the conversation taking place.

Maui was currently telling the story of how he had wrestled the sun into submission, it involved a lot of rope if Maui was to be believed.

Manu's eyes drifted back to the broad expanse of bare painted flesh on display across the way. The Mini Maui tattoo was tossing rope in every possible direction until there was a strange black web tangled up between the man's pecs. Mini Maui then lassoed the painted sun and started dragging it towards the web.

An amused smile twitched Manu's lips as he watched the story taking place. He was pretty sure that wasn't what really happened but the children's enthusiastic reaction told Manu all he needed to know about the man's reasons for exaggerating his feats. Manu had told a tall tale or two in his time.

The chief dragged his eyes from the display up the man's body to find glittering black orbs staring back at him intently. Maui smirked at him before turning his attention to the children once more.

A small smile played across Manu's thin lips. He had been surprised by how well the demigod handled the little mob, but Maui and Mini Maui both seemed to bask in the attention.

While Maui was distracting the children Manu was able to make his rounds fairly quickly. He stopped to check that everyone was still going strong and no one needed a break. He spent a few minutes checking on each of the outlaying boats, making sure they were all alright as well. Then he bent down to check the currents.

Manu was so focused on his people that he was startled to find Maui's face suddenly inches from his own while the demigod lent over the side of the boat to stare down at where Manu had dipped his hand into the water.

Manu completely forgot what he was doing, caught in the rush of having the powerful being so close to him.

"What are you doing?" The man asked, his voice startling Manu back to the present. He jerked, pulling his hand from the water and smiling warmly back at his guest. A brief glance over Maui's broad shoulder revealed his bonded with their child on one hip and a little girl peering at him from around her legs. Inas was watching Manu and Maui with open amusement on her cherubic face.

Manu chose to ignore her and began to explain how the temperature and direction of the currents beneath them helped him to guide the ships in the right direction.

Maui made a face at the explanation, obviously doubting his words. Manu gently wrapping a hand around the bigger man's wrist and pulled it towards the water.

Maui's skin was far warmer than a normal human, but Manu ignored that as he began instructing Maui on how to be a way finder. This was one of the easier tasks, one even the younger children were taught.

It became quickly apparent to the chief that learning something new was an experience that Maui didn't come across very often and he was enthralled with every new thing he encountered.

Behind them little Ulani squirmed in his mother's hold, wriggling, "Dow, Dow!" He squealed, obviously upset. Manu heard the commotion and glanced back in time to see the tiny child wiggle free of his mother's arms.

Inas grunted as the little boy accidentally punched her in the stomach with a flailing fist. It wasn't hard enough to injure her, but it caused her to loose her grip on the child, who slithered down to land on the deck.

The little boy shrieked happily and darted away from the woman, who darted forward to capture the little terror again, only to stop and glance down at her legs.

Manu followed her eyes to see their daughter clutching her leg tightly, refusing to go any closer to the stranger.

Before Manu could intercept the little boy, Ulani flung himself at Maui, who was still bent over the side of the craft not paying any mind to the drama unfolding behind him, or the patter of little feet coming closer.

Ulani landed on Maui's back, catching the demigod off guard and sending them both toppling over the side into the ocean.

"Ulani!" Inas gasped, pulling herself from her daughter's grasp and joining Manu at the edge of the boat. Before she could launch herself into the water Manu caught her arm and held her back.

"He's with Maui, he will come to no harm." He told her faithfully. Inas sent him a disbelieving look but before she could say anything Maui burst from the water. Only he wasn't the Maui that had fallen in moments earlier, now he had a long sleek grey body and thin bottle nose stretched over a wide mischievous grin. On his back sat little Ulani, drenched, but otherwise unharmed.

The little boy giggled and waved at his worried parents and Manu felt Inas sag against him in relief. "He's okay." She sighed. Manu smiled down at her, curling an affectionate arm around her, gently squeezing her shoulder in reassurance.

Maui chattered at them as he came close enough for Manu to pluck his son off the smooth tattooed flesh, promptly depositing the child into the safety of his mother's arms.

Moments later the dolphin was gone and Maui was sitting on the edge of the ship, his feet dangling over the edge as he leaned back to look at the setting sun.

"Thank you, for keeping him safe." Manu said, pulling the demigod's dark eyes to him.

Maui smirked, "What can I say, I'm a natural born hero."

Manu could tell he was blustering again, embarrassed and probably overwhelmed by the show of gratitude. "You are." He agreed, watching Maui's eyes pop before he darted his gaze back to the water. Maui might not believe him, but Manu knew it to be true.

 *****Aue Aue*****

Over the next fortnight Maui split his time between entertaining the children and following Manu around asking all sorts of questions, from what all the ropes (it's called rigging, Maui) was for, to helping stitch up torn sails (without our sails we can't catch the wind and we won't get very far).

It was nice.

Fun, even.

But it couldn't last.

Maui was spending time with the children again, while Manu helped with the day's fishing. Manu's youngest the most enchanted with the demigod's stories as he sat at Maui's feet.

Manu had tried to convince Kohia, his only daughter, to go play with them, but for some odd reason the girl was terrified of Maui and refused to go anywhere near him. She was clinging to her mother even now, not that Inas seemed to mind very much as she guided their daughter through a new dance.

Manu watched them fondly for a few minutes before glancing back at where Ulani was scooting closer to his idle. It was adorable how much the boy adored Maui, toddling after him when he was walking around the raft. More than once he'd seen Maui scoop the boy up right before he toppled into the ocean (again) and set him down on his broad shoulder where the little boy would instantly start playing with his fluffy hair.

At the moment Maui was playing a new game with the children, shape shifting into different animals as they called out names.

"Pig!" One little girl squealed, Maui obediently changed into the requested animal. Only he was much larger than a normal pig and the sudden shift in weight caused the ship to dip forwards alarmingly, causing the little ones to all shriek with joy.

"Bet you can't be a tiny little mouse." One of the older boy's challenged. Again a shift in the weight as Maui seemed to disappear altogether. Manu caught sight of him scurrying up the mast.

"Whale! Whale!" That was Ulani's distinct screech. He had a slight obsession with the large creatures and always got excited when one came up for air.

Before Manu had the time to properly panic about the sudden appearance of a whale in the middle of his ship, the mouse launched itself from the mast and dived off the side of the raft.

Moments later a huge black and white whale arched over the tribe showering everyone with seawater. Screams of shock filled the air echoing from all the closest boats as Maui landed with a splash that sent a wave careening towards the unsuspecting voyagers.

They rode the wave easily, years of practice keeping them all right side up. When the ocean had calmed down Manu glanced up to see Inas giving him an unimpressed look, their daughter was clinging her like her life depended on it, obviously terrified.

Manu felt a stab of regret that was quickly followed up by a rush of warmth when the loud shrieks of pure joy reached his ears. He glanced over to see Ulani cheering and clapping happily, staring out at the now still ocean.

The happy moment was interrupted when the child's laughing choked off into a fit of violent coughing.

Manu's heart stopped and he shared a worried look with Inas as they both darted to Ulani's side. Manu bent down and gathered the tiny shaking, wheezing little boy into his arms.

* * *

 ** _I am so terribly sorry about the long wait. I explained about the fan x, but what I didn't say, and probably should have, is that I have a severe Panic Disorder. And when I say severe I mean there was a point when I was having panic attacks two or three times a day almost every day. It's kinda hard to write when my brain is completely shut down. I'm getting better but I'm still finding it hard to gather up motivation sometimes. So if I do disappear for a while that's why, I'm not abandoning my story I'm just having problems concentrating._**

 ** _I hope you enjoyed the chatper._**

 ** _Review!_**


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